Gary Neville has criticized Reuben Amorim’s “bizarre” comments in his post-match press conference after the Manchester United manager appeared to hint that both he and the club would part ways when his contract expires. The Red Devils manager questioned his future at Old Trafford after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Leeds.
Mr Amorim had already hinted at tensions behind the scenes at a press conference on Friday before the situation at Elland Road escalated. “I’ll leave it to you guys, but I realize that you’re receiving selective information about everything,” he declared. “I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the manager of Manchester United, that’s clear. I know my name is not[Thomas]Tuchel,[Antonio]Conte or[Jose]Mourinho, but I am the manager of Manchester United.
“And this situation is going to continue for 18 months or until the board decides to make a change. That’s what I was saying. I want this to be over. I’m not going to quit. I’m going to do my job until someone else comes here to take my place.”
The Portuguese tactician also reiterated that all parties will leave once the deal is completed in 18 months. He also hinted that he was guaranteed greater powers to transform the club, referring to Neville in his comments.
“All I’m saying is I’m not just going to be a coach, I’m going to be the manager of this team,” he added. “And I was really clear about that. And it’s going to end in 18 months and then we’re all going to move on. That was the deal.”
“That’s my job, not to be a coach. If people can’t stand the criticism of Gary Neville and everything, then I need to change clubs. No, guys, all I’ve said is that I didn’t come here to be a coach, I came here to manage Manchester United. And each department, the scouting department, the sporting director, needs to do their job. I’m going to do my job for 18 months and move on.”
Following Amorim’s rant, Neville was asked for his thoughts on the situation on the Gary Neville Podcast from the Etihad Stadium. “There are some strange comments around him, like, ‘I’m the manager, not the head coach.’ As I said earlier about[Enzo]Maresca, when you start the game in the press conference, it’s clear that something is bothering him. He doesn’t feel supported and he lets go,” Neville said.
“When you say you came to the club as a manager, I thought he was appointed the head coach of the football club and was tasked with coaching the team. I don’t see the title manager anymore. I don’t know what Josep Guardiola is like at Manchester City.”
“The manager has suggested that he wants to control more than just performance on the training ground. He wants to control other parts of the club as well. They have a greater say in other parts of the club, such as recruitment, the academy, playing style and how the club organizes pre-season friendlies.”
“Perhaps he is hinting that he needs to be given more authority over different departments at the club. I didn’t watch the press conference at all, it was just forwarded to me by the staff producer, but (he) said something about other people doing work in his department.”
“That would again suggest that he is dissatisfied with something. Something has happened in the past week and the quotes that have surfaced indicate that Ruben Amorim is now starting to be released, just like Maresca.”
“It’s not exactly the same, but it’s somewhat similar in the sense that it’s not clear what that means, but everyone has to read between the lines. It looks to me like he’s unhappy about something in the hierarchy.”
“Apparently he mentioned my name in it as well. What managers tend to do in difficult times is to belittle the pundits. I don’t have a problem with that. In fact, I’ve been quite supportive of Manchester United’s performances against Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Newcastle.”
“I thought they were very good. We didn’t support them the other day against Wolves, if that’s what he’s saying. It wasn’t right last night and I have to say that. It wasn’t right against 10-man Everton.”
“If I see something that’s not right, I’m going to call it out, because that’s my job. That being said, the bigger issue isn’t what he said about me. In fact, it doesn’t matter at all. It’s more that what he’s saying is going on behind the scenes.”
